June-2002 report -- route South-to-North

 
West side Hudson River Greenway path 

 
Ken Roberts reports: 

Here is how Sharon and I did the Northern section on our tandem bicycle in June 2002 -- riding north to the walkway over the George Washington Bridge: 

We were riding North on the paved path alongside the Hudson River. 

Around about 84th, we saw a sign for bicyclists to leave the main path and turn Right onto another path that went up a hill.  This took us to a roadway with no cars on it in Riverside Park -- looked like it's normally closed to normal motor vehicle traffic. 

We rode straight North on this roadway, seemed like a distance of half a mile.  

We saw other bicyclists bearing Left onto the first obvious major path back down toward the River.  There were no official bike route signs, but we followed it.  We went down and down and kept bearing Left at any forks in the path, and soon we arrived at a T-intersection with the main path alongside the River (near 92nd St)

We  made the obvious Right turn and started heading North again on the main path. 

The path ended at a parking lot. 

We turned Right and followed "Bicycle Route" signs out onto a normal city street (132nd St, most likely) with cars and trucks driving on it, which took us underneath the Henry Hudson Parkway. 

Left onto 12th Ave, and we went north underneath the Parkway. 

Left onto 135th St, which took us underneath the Parkway. 

Right soon, into a parking lot with a booth at the entrance for an attendant -- underneath the Parkway (perhaps a different set of lanes this time). 

bear Right to follow the obvious path out into some sunshine, go a ways and then 

turn Left and go east through an opening in a fence, which took us into Riverside Park. 

We followed the obvious paved path north, and this continued for a long way -- one short section was still rough stones and dirt.  

After some basketball courts and volleyball courts, we should have turned Right to follow the main path.  But the turn was not marked, so we kept going straight until the path turned to dirt and took us to an old baseball field.  So we went back and find the correct turn, which soon curved back to taking us North toward the GWB. 

After visiting the Little Red Lighthouse, we rode straight up a short steep hill, then a bridge over railroad tracks, then under the Parkway, and up another steep hill. 

We turned Left and followed a rough sidewalk uphill curving Left.  

We carried our tandem bicycle up a flight of stairs, and walked it across a foot-bridge. 

Right onto a city street with cars and trucks driving on it (entrance to the Parkway?) and started riding again.   

Left at Lafayette Plaza and up a steep hill on 181st St. 

Right onto Fort Washington Ave and rode south. 

Right onto 177th St, following "Bicycle Route" signs. 

Right onto Cabrini Blvd

Left onto sidewalk briefly following "Bicycle Route" signs, and Left again onto entrance of south walkway of the George Washington Bridge. 

 
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